26 



Minor-Brachydacttjly 



peculiarity as seen in the hands of an adult, and for this purpose 

 I shall select the radiograph of a woman, No. 9 (Fig. 5). 



What chiefly strikes one is the shortness of the middle phalanx in 

 each finger. It is to this peculiarity that the shorteniag of the hand is 

 principally due. 



Fig. 5. Hand of woman ( > 



The middle phalanx is very short. 



In the normal hand, the middle phalanx is intermediate in length 

 between the first and the third. All the phalanges are seen to be 

 distinct and separate : there is no union (ankylosis) of the second 

 to the terminal phalanx, such as occurred in No. 1 family in every case 



